![]() When she did, she saw a large lantern that had the Yuan Xiao printed on it. During the sixteenth night, as the city was all lit up, Yuan Xiao’s younger sister came with her parents to look at all of the pretty burning lanterns. The Emperor relented to this idea and ordered people to hang lit lanterns outside their home and on the streets and to set off fireworks. It was in this way that the city would appear to be on fire and the Jade Emperor will be fooled as he watches from the Southern Heaven Gate watching the city of Chang’an. ![]() He then suggests that every household should hang lit lanterns from their homes and in the streets so that the city appeared to be on fire. It was only in this way, he described to the Emperor, that the fire god would be appeased. He also said that every family in the city should do so as well. He then suggested to the Emperor that on the fifteenth night of the first lunar month, the palace maid Yuan Xiao should make tang yuan for the god of fire. Shuo told the emperor that he knew that the god of fire enjoyed eating tang yuan balls and that he knew for a fact that the palace maid Yuan Xiao made the best tangyuan balls. As it burns, and the city is consumed, the night sky will be illuminated red.”Įmperor Wudi was shocked and asked his minister, Dongfang Shuo for his assistance. ![]() The Imperial Palace would soon be burned and that the fire would last a total of 16-days. The letter was to read that “Chang’an is in great peril. Her next instruction was to tell everyone that if they wanted to avoid this fire, then a letter written on red paper had to be hand-delivered to the Emperor and it had to be done soon. She was then instructed to tell everyone that she was ordered to burn down Chang’an and that even the Jade Emperor at the Southern Heavenly Gate would watch her commit this act of arson. He instructed her to then pretend to be a messenger of the god of fire. He listened to the tale of woe about not being able to see her family, so he decided to help her.ĭongfang Shuo told Yuan Xiao to dress all in red and to then go down to the streets of Chang’an. She was about to jump into a well and commit suicide, but Emperor Wudi’s minister Dongfang Shuo saw her attempt as he was picking plum branches and decided to stop her. There is another legend that associates the holiday with a palace maid named Yuan-Xiao. Of course, with a holiday this old, no one knows for sure when it started. However, some people believe that the practice of lighting lanterns in temples is actually connected not to Buddhism but to the worship of Taiyi. This was to mirror the same practice that was done by Buddhist monks who lit lanterns in temples on this day to pay homage to Buddha. Since Emperor Ming was an advocate for this religion, he decided to order all households, temples, and palaces to light lanterns on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. At this time during the reign of Emperor Ming, Buddhism was beginning to flourish all across China. The history of this festival can be traced back more than 2,000-years ago to the Hand dynasty. It also shouldn’t be confused with the Magical Lantern Festival held annually in London, or the Water Lantern Festival observed in the U.S. It’s important that this holiday not be confused with other celebrations that might bear the name Lantern Festival, particularly the Mid-Autumn festival that’s known as the Lantern Festival in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. During this holiday, children celebrate by carrying paper lanterns out at night and solving the riddles that are written on these lanterns. In addition to the lantern display, a live DJ, projection mapping, food vendors, and more will keep the party going.Since it’s the last day of the Lunar New Year, the Spring Festival can’t officially end until this day has been celebrated. The botanic garden will be illuminated for over eight acres. ![]() Like all three Lantern Festival installations, this will run nightly through Sunday, January 9.Īdding to that first festival, will be an escape at the Snug Harbor Cultural Center on Staten Island. Festive holiday lights, projection mapping and handmade lanterns in the shape of flowers, bugs, animals, and more will create this bright experience. Dubbed "A Bug’s Night," this experience will let you navigate across over 20 acres of vivid lanterns and holiday lights. The first will kick off on October 22, with a drive-through experience at the Nassau County Museum of Art. The NYC Winter Lantern Festival is returning for the 2021 season with three major events that will help illuminate the cold season! Or at least, light up our evenings to make us forget about the too-early sunsets. The days may be getting shorter (ugh), but that just means we have to rely on creative New Yorkers to get lit.
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